Container with insulative label

ABSTRACT

An insulative label is provided for a beverage container to reduce heat transfer, particularly heat transfer by conduction from a consumer&#39;s hand to the beverage container. The label comprises a dual-ply construction, with a grid pattern placed between the layered materials. Preferably, the label comprises a film base layer secured to the container, the grid pattern comprising an ink and varnish mixture printed over the film base layer, and a laminate top layer secured to the film base layer. Air is trapped in the gaps or spaces between the protrusions created by the grid pattern, and the trapped air insulates the container. The label has a very thin profile, thereby not perceptibly changing the appearance of the label or the container.

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/559,766, filed Nov. 14, 2006, which is incorporated herein in itsentirety by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to labels applied to containers such asbottles, and more particularly, to a label that insulates the container,thereby reducing heat transfer to maintain the temperature of thebeverage within the container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Beverages such as beer and soda are commonly made available to consumersin beverage bottles. Beer is preferably kept refrigerated prior toconsumption, since most consumers prefer to drink cold beer. Although abeverage bottle is a convenient container to distribute the beverage toconsumers, the beverage within the bottle quickly warms after it hasbeen removed from its refrigerated or cooled environment.

Heat transfer from the environment to the contents of the containeroccur in different ways. One significant mode of heat transfer is byconduction. If an object having a higher temperature than the beveragecontacts the bottle, heat transfer will occur, thus warming the beveragewithin the bottle. It is well known that when a consumer holds abeverage bottle, heat will be conducted from the consumer's hand to thebottle, and the beverage will quickly warm. Other modes of heat transfercan also occur, such as heat transfer by convection from the surroundingair, or heat transfer by radiation from exposure to sunlight.

In order to address the problem of heat transfer with respect tobeverage bottles, there are a number of references that provide variousmeans to insulate a beverage container in order to reduce heat transfer,and maintain the beverage at a desired temperature. One referenceincludes U.S. Pat. No. 4,268,567. This reference discloses an elongatedsheet of cross-linked polyethylene foam which can be imprinted withconventional printing inks. The foam sheet is wrapped around the surfaceof the container to be insulated. A strip of adhesive is used to connectthe ends of the foam sheet.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,620,281 discloses an insulating label comprising a layerof ink placed on the face of a paper stock substrate, and an adhesivelayer disposed on the backside of the paper stock substrate. A thin,waterproof layer of foam is attached to the adhesive layer of the paperstock substrate. The printed face of the label is protected by a clearfilm or coating. The label can be used either as an aftermarket wrap, oras a label that is an integral part of the container as it is producedfrom the manufacturer.

Other references that disclose labels with insulating characteristicsinclude the U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,792,536 and 4,889,234.

Although labels having insulation features are known, there is still aneed to provide an insulating label that is inexpensive to manufacture,and can be easily secured to the container when shipped from themanufacturer. Additionally, it is desirable to provide a label that doesnot substantially alter the appearance or size of the container. It isalso desirable to provide insulation in a manner that does not detractfrom the artwork or printing on the label.

In accordance with the present invention, an insulative label isprovided that may be applied to a container in order to insulate thecontainer from various modes of heat transfer, particularly heattransfer by conduction that may occur when a consumer's hand contactsthe container. In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, the label comprises a multi-layered configuration, takingadvantage of air gaps between the layers to provide the insulationeffect. More specifically, a film base layer attaches to an exteriorsurface of the container. Placed over the film base layer is a gridpattern comprising an ink and varnish mixture. Preferably, the gridpattern is applied to the film base layer by printing. The ink andvarnish mixture is especially adapted for application by known printingprocesses. Once applied, the grid pattern extends away from the filmbase layer; preferably about 2-4 thousands of an inch. The grid patternis allowed to dry, and then a laminate top layer is placed over theprinted grid pattern. The top laminate layer has a coating of adhesivethat is disposed on its border allowing the top laminate layer to besecured to the underlying film base layer. The grid pattern has a numberof irregular gaps or spaces. The air trapped in these gaps serves as alayer of insulation to help prevent heat transfer, particularly byconduction. Another way in which to describe the ink and varnish mixturewhich extends away from the film base layer is to characterize it as ahoneycomb configuration wherein there are a plurality of separate cells,and between the cells are gaps that enable air to be trapped thereinwhen the top laminate layer is applied. The laminate top layer may bepreprinted with the desired product identification, or the top laminatelayer may be printed after it has been secured to the grid pattern.

Particular advantages of the present invention include the provision ofan insulative label that is very thin, non-obtrusive, and is easilyincorporated within a label manufacturing process for use withhigh-speed labeling and filling lines. Ultimately, the insulativecharacteristics provided by the label of the present invention areeconomical and easy to manufacture.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of the insulative label of thepresent invention, illustrating the three primary components, namely, afilm base layer, a printed grid pattern, and a top laminate layer;

FIG. 2 is a partial cross-section of the label of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a greatly enlarged portion of FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a beverage bottle having the label ofthe present invention applied thereto.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention inthe form of a multi-layered, insulative label 10. As shown, the threeprimary components or parts of the label include a film base layer 12, agrid pattern 14 applied to the base layer, and a top laminate layer 16that is applied over the grid pattern 14. In the manufacturing of thelabel, the film base layer 12 undergoes a printing process wherein thegrid pattern 14 is applied to the film base layer 12. The film baselayer 12 preferably comprises an ink and varnish mixture. The mixturehas a degree of viscosity that enables the mixture when applied tomaintain the honeycomb configuration wherein a plurality of gaps orspaces remain between the groups or cells of the applied mixture.

Also referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the label 10 may be further describedas including a first side edge 18, a second side edge 20, and transverseedges 22 that abut one another when the label is wrapped around acontainer. An adhesive border 17 is applied to the facing surface of thetop laminate layer 16 to secure the top laminate layer 16 to the filmbase layer 12. As also shown, the film base layer 12 has a peripheraledge 21 with no grid pattern thereon, which allows the adhesive 17 todirectly contact the film base layer 12. As best seen in FIGS. 2 and 3,the grid pattern 14 comprises a plurality of irregular shaped and sizedprotrusions 28 that extend beyond the exposed surface 29 of the filmbase layer 12. Accordingly, a plurality of gaps or spaces 30 residebetween exposed surface 29 and the lower facing surface 32 of the toplaminate layer 16. The formulation of the ink and varnish mixture may beprovided to enable the protrusions 28 to extend away from the surface 29the desired amount. It has been found that one preferable size for thegrid pattern is approximately 2-4 thousands of an inch.

With respect to characterizing the grid pattern as a honeycombconfiguration, the protrusions 28 may be defined as cells, and the gapsor spaces 30 are found between the individual cells.

The upper surface 26 may be printed to recite the product information asdesired. The lower surface 24 of the label is secured to the exteriorsurface of the container, such as by adhesive applied to surface 24. Asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the upper surface 26 is smooth, as well as thelower surface 24. When applied to the container as shown, the uppersurface 26 and lower surface 24 extend substantially parallel to oneanother.

The label 10 is shown applied to a bottle B in FIG. 4. The label has anon-obtrusive appearance since it maintains a minimum thickness;therefore, the label does not change the general overall appearance ofthe bottle as compared to traditional labels. As discussed above withthe prior art, use of foam layers or other materials may make a labelappear bulky and otherwise unattractive to a consumer. Although notvisually perceptible by the consumer, the grid pattern 14 in combinationwith the top laminate layer 16 and lower film base layer 12 provide aneffective way to insulate the container and to particularly reduce heattransfer by conduction.

While the foregoing invention has been described with respect to apreferred embodiment, it shall be understood that various other changesand modifications may be made to the invention which fall within thespirit and scope of the present invention, in accordance with the scopeof the claims appended hereto.

1. An insulative label comprising: a film base layer; a grid printedover said film base layer, said grid comprising protrusions extrudingfrom said film base layer, and gaps being located between saidprotrusions; a top laminate layer secured to said film base layer andsaid grid pattern positioned between said film base layer and said toplaminate layer, wherein said gaps in said grid form an insulating airbarrier.
 2. A label, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said grid comprisesa mixture of ink and varnish, wherein the mixture has a degree ofviscosity enabling said protrusions to extend from said film base layera desired distance.
 3. A label, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: saidprotrusions extend away from said film base layer between about 2 to 4thousandths of an inch.
 4. A label, as claimed in claim 1, wherein:adhesive is secured to a periphery of a facing surface of said toplaminate layer for securing said top laminate layer to said film baselayer.
 5. A label, as claimed in claim 1, wherein: said film base layerhas a periphery with no grid formed thereon for enhancing contact ofsaid adhesive of said top laminate layer with said film base layer. 6.In combination, a container and label, said combination comprising: (a)a container; (b) a label secured to said container, said labelcomprising: a film base layer; a grid printed over said film base layer,said grid comprising protrusions extruding from said film base layer,and gaps being located between said protrusions; top laminate layersecured to said film base layer and said grid pattern positioned betweensaid film base layer and said top laminate layer, wherein said gaps insaid grid form an insulating air barrier.
 7. The combination as claimedin claim 6, wherein: said grid comprises a mixture of ink and varnish,wherein the mixture has a degree of viscosity enabling said protrusionsto extend from said film base layer a desired distance.
 8. Thecombination as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said protrusions extend awayfrom said film base layer between about 2 to 4 thousandths of an inch.9. The combination as claimed in claim 6, wherein: adhesive is securedto a periphery of a facing surface of said top laminate layer forsecuring said top laminate layer to said film base layer.
 10. Thecombination as claimed in claim 6, wherein: said film base layer has aperiphery with no grid formed thereon for enhancing contact of saidadhesive of said top laminate layer with said film base layer.
 11. Amethod of making an insulative label for insulating a beverage within acontainer, said method comprising the steps of: providing a sheet offilm; applying a grid pattern to the film, said grid pattern being amixture of ink and varnish wherein the grid pattern includes protrusionsextending away from the film sheet, and gaps positioned between theprotrusions; providing a top laminate layer secured to said film baselayer and said grid being positioned between said top laminate layer andsaid film layer; and printing an exposed surface of said top laminatelayer with product identification.
 12. An insulative label comprising: afilm base layer; a honeycomb configuration printed over said film baselayer, said honeycomb configuration comprising protrusions extrudingfrom said film base layer, and gaps being located between saidprotrusions; a top laminate layer secured to said film base layer andsaid honeycomb configuration pattern positioned between said film baselayer and said top laminate layer, wherein said gaps in said honeycombconfiguration form an insulating air barrier.
 13. A label, as claimed inclaim 12, wherein: said honeycomb configuration comprises a mixture ofink and varnish, wherein the mixture has a degree of viscosity enablingsaid protrusions to extend from said film base layer a desired distance.14. A label, as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said protrusions extendaway from said film base layer between about 2 to 4 thousandths of aninch.
 15. A label, as claimed in claim 12, wherein: adhesive is securedto a periphery of a facing surface of said top laminate layer forsecuring said top laminate layer to said film base layer.
 16. A label,as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said film base layer has a peripherywith no honeycomb configuration formed thereon for enhancing contact ofsaid adhesive of said top laminate layer with said film base layer.